sheath

Alternative forms

• sheathe

Etymology

From Middle English s(c)heth(e), from Old English scēaþ, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþiz, possibly from a root skaiþ- ("split, divide"), related to *skaiþaną (“separate”). Cognate with Dutch schede, Low German scheed, German Scheide, Danish skede, Norwegian skjede, Icelandic skeið.

Pronunciation

• enPR: shēth, IPA^(key): /ʃiːθ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːθ

Noun

sheath (plural sheaths)

1. A scabbard; a holster for a sword.
2. Anything that has a similar shape to a scabbard for a sword that is for the purpose of holding an object that is longer than it is wide; a case.
3. The insulating outer cover of an electrical cable.
4. A tight-fitting dress.
5. (Britain) A condom.
6. The foreskin of certain animals, e.g. dogs and horses.
7. The base of a leaf when sheathing or investing a stem or branch, as in grasses.
8. One of the elytra of an insect.

Pronunciation

• enPR: shēth, IPA^(key): /ʃiːð/
• Rhymes: -iːð

Verb

sheath (third-person singular simple present sheaths, present participle sheathing, simple past and past participle sheathed)

1. To put an object (especially a weapon, in particular, a sword) into its sheath.
   • John Dryden, The Hind and the Panther

     But when his foe lies prostrate on the plain, / He sheaths his paws, uncurls his angry mane, / And pleased with bloodless honours of the day, / Walks over and disdains th' inglorious prey.

Further reading

• sheath in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• sheath in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Anagrams

• heaths